DENNIS WAKEFIELD

In September 2023, a former school caretaker was sentenced to prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two young girls over a period of six years and possessing a large number of indecent images.

Dennis Wakefield, aged 58, engaged in sexual assaults on the girls at different times between April 2016 and June 2022.

The case was heard at Douglas Courthouse, where it was revealed that the victims were between five and eight years old when the abuse occurred.

One of the survivors mentioned suffering from panic attacks as a result of the trauma.

Wakefield received a sentence of five years and eight months in prison.

Authorities discovered he had been found with 568 indecent images stored across multiple devices, including his phone, laptop, iPad, and external hard drive.

The investigation was initiated after one of the girls made remarks about body parts during a school lesson, prompting a teacher to express concerns.

Wakefield was identified as the perpetrator and subsequently arrested.

A search of his home uncovered the illicit images, with some dating back to April 2014, involving various children.

During police questioning, Wakefield denied engaging in abuse and acknowledged viewing adult pornography but insisted he was not interested in young girls.

He later pleaded guilty to four counts of gross indecency with a child, two counts of indecent assault, and six counts of possessing indecent images of children.

It was disclosed during the trial that Wakefield had also served for 12 years as a Special Constable and was involved with the Army Cadets.

His legal representative described his situation as a 'spectacular fall from grace' and acknowledged the reprehensibility of his actions.

A video presented in court featured one of the victims describing Wakefield as an 'awful man' and expressing her ongoing fear, including panic attacks triggered by seeing an older man with a bald head, which she associates with her abuser.

Judge Deemster Graeme Cook sentenced Wakefield and commented that the victims had endured experiences no child should face, lamenting the loss of their innocence.

Wakefield was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely, with restrictions on travel and a sexual offences prevention order that limits his contact with children and access to online devices.